Let's Talk About Sleeping In a Pup

[generok]

A white noise machine helps us. It covers up the little noises in the CG at night. We have one that is battery operated. I've also been a big, big fan of Mack's ear plugs. As far as comfort, we used to put a topper on the mattress and that helped some. Once the DW and I started camping sans children, we also tried sleeping one in each bunk. That was REALLY comfortable actually. We had space to spread out. DW could layer in 5 blankets and I could lay in just a sheet and we were both comfortable.

 

[Anthony Hitchings]

Hike 10 miles and 2000 ft vertical - that helps.

Our ALiner main bed is a bit too narrow at 54" - I am still getting used to it after 50 nights in it. I sleep better at home in our queen sized water bed.

 

[Orchid]

If you don't have Ambien, I can give you some other tips as well.

The biggest difference for us was putting the anti-stress flooring mats under both mattresses. You can buy black ones at Harbor Freight. We have those on one bunk and multi-colored ones from Sam's under the other bunk. I only bought enough to do one bunk at a time, due to being a skeptic. They are amazing!

We have a rooftop a/c and even if it's not hot, we turn it on fan, just for noise to sleep by. Very helpful.

 

[squirrelbox]

I am like you, super light sleeper. Cat eating dry food will wake me up. I always sleep best camping. I think it is the fresh air. I open everything up. Even if it is chilly. But if I let something annoy me like raccoons in my kitchen tent < I will sleep light waiting for them to wake me up from my self sabotaged sleep. Once you are more comfortable with your new experience you will relax and look forward to a good healthy sleep. Probably my prejudice, selfish, arrogant opinion, but an rv park has way to much energy for me to relax. I am self employed and have found that I am allergic to people while camping. Weird but true. As you become familiar and confident with camping you will enjoy the experience. Good for you.

 

[firepit]

Get a good memory foam mattress...zip them windows up and let AC run or AC fan.
After a bunch of food and a few beers...i settle in and turn on the western channel.
But then again i can sleep through a tornado....i do believe dogs help me relax and sleep knowing they will let me know if i need to wake up.
No matter how comfortable you sleep out camping its always feels so nice to get in bed at home the first night back.

 

[Grandpa Don]

My wife and I purchased a used pop up and went on our first mini test trip. I've never hauled anything with my truck, or slept/stayed in an RV or pup. We stayed 2 nights at an RV resort. I figured it would be easy, and convenient if we had any issues. I was right in assuming that. It was flat, it was clean, the staff was nice, and we enjoyed some of the local company.

We're back home now and I am exhausted. I came home, sat on the sofa and passed out! I don't ever do that, so I know I'm a little sleep deprived. I didn't expect my sleep to be super great since it was my first time, but I figured maybe you can pass along some tips and tricks on how you get a good night sleep in your pup.

We have a king sized bed on one side, which is where we slept. I bought an extra padded topper blanket, and I was surprised to find I woke up without a soar muscle in my body. Big difference compared to tent camping. I think a fan for louder white noise might be a "need to have" for next time, as little noises made my Dog's head pop up, and I'm already a light sleeper.

What do you guys do to ensure you're well rested?

I don't know why, but I don't have any trouble getting to sleep at home or camping. I can actually take a nap before I go to bed and still sleep all night. A sudden noise will wake me, but a continuous noise will not. I sleep with a fan on in my room. It does not keep me awake. I need a little background noise. On one of my first camp outs with the pup I went to bed way too early. I did wake up at 1 a.m. and could not get back to sleep. My son is a delivery truck driver who works the night shift. We would send a text back and forth at his every stop.

 

[Toedtoes]

If you need sleep aids, I would be careful. Ambien can cause weird happenings - sleep shopping, sleep walking, sleep eating, as well as acting out sexual dreams.

Melatonin is worth a try. Prescription-wise, I can recommend Belsomra. It doesn't have the side effects and is non-habit forming. It also doesn't make you groggy when you wake up in the morning. I can take it as late as 3 am and still wake up refreshed as early as 7:30 am.

 

[Sneezer]

I am probably not much help as I generally fall asleep within minutes and sleep like a rock. I frequently wake up around 9 or 10 when camping. I don't do breakfast, I do brunch!

That being said I have a mattress topper, plain foam kind, and interlocking anti fatigue foam mats under the mattress. I sleep with sheets and a comforter. We have multiple fans inside to help circulate the air. I run the A/C on max cool all the time and it gets quite chilly inside at night. I have reflectix in most of the windows and PUGS on the bunks. I have never had any issue with condensation inside or damp bedding. Some mornings it has been cold enough inside to where I had condensation on the outside of the windows, but that is it. I generally sleep better in the pup than at home.

 

[Orchid]

That being said I have a mattress topper, plain foam kind, and interlocking anti fatigue foam mats under the mattress. I sleep with sheets and a comforter. We have multiple fans inside to help circulate the air. I run the A/C on max cool all the time and it gets quite chilly inside at night. I have reflectix in most of the windows and PUGS on the bunks. I have never had any issue with condensation inside or damp bedding. Some mornings it has been cold enough inside to where I had condensation on the outside of the windows, but that is it. I generally sleep better in the pup than at home.

Same exact set up on our beds, same with a/c, but no fans. I've also never experienced dampness or interior condensation.

AND, I typically only have to take half dose of my sleep meds while camping. I sleep so much better in there, that I sometimes sleep in it at home.

 

[Eskimorob]

Too many whatzats to sleep well, over night rain always wakes me up worrying if I got everything protected, add a bit of wind and now we’re wide awake. Never seem to sleep well until the third night. Actually sleep better in the afternoon siestas.

 

[1380ken]

Valium

 

[campfire Joe]

Well it sounds like the key to a good night sleep is to spend all day in the sun and party by night! Haha.

All that, but the main ingredient is it helps to be old like we are.

 

[Nani2]

If you need sleep aids, I would be careful. Ambien can cause weird happenings - sleep shopping, sleep walking, sleep eating, as well as acting out sexual dreams.

Melatonin is worth a try. Prescription-wise, I can recommend Belsomra. It doesn't have the side effects and is non-habit forming. It also doesn't make you groggy when you wake up in the morning. I can take it as late as 3 am and still wake up refreshed as early as 7:30 am.

Our friends have a son in his early twenties who took Ambien. He woke up one night and drove to the Waffle House and parked on the sidewalk going in. He was arrested and charged with DUI. He doesn't remember any of it. Scary stuff.

 

[CampingFamily1]

We have memory foam and we use swimming style earplugs when needed. See my photos for more info.

 

[firepit]

Sometimes beer farts keep my wife from sleeping but i sleep like a baby

 

[netslacker]

If you have roof AC turn that on. Ours is quite loud and drowns out a lot of surrounding noises. It also has a fan mode so it doesn’t have to be in cooling mode. My wife uses earphones with white noise played from her phone.

before we bought our pup I had a discussion with the family that you are one with the surrounding noises, especially if you don’t use a fan or white noise. I made sure everyone was aware that if we have noisy neighbors we’d hear them and that each person must know this going in. Our first time out was a very noisy campground and since then everyone comes prepared in their own way. Some campgrounds and campsites are better than others, but almost all have early morning birds chirping at 5am. Have a plan or run yourself ragged so that you sleep through it.

 

[Blackripley]

My wife and I purchased a used pop up and went on our first mini test trip. I've never hauled anything with my truck, or slept/stayed in an RV or pup. We stayed 2 nights at an RV resort. I figured it would be easy, and convenient if we had any issues. I was right in assuming that. It was flat, it was clean, the staff was nice, and we enjoyed some of the local company.

We're back home now and I am exhausted. I came home, sat on the sofa and passed out! I don't ever do that, so I know I'm a little sleep deprived. I didn't expect my sleep to be super great since it was my first time, but I figured maybe you can pass along some tips and tricks on how you get a good night sleep in your pup.

We have a king sized bed on one side, which is where we slept. I bought an extra padded topper blanket, and I was surprised to find I woke up without a soar muscle in my body. Big difference compared to tent camping. I think a fan for louder white noise might be a "need to have" for next time, as little noises made my Dog's head pop up, and I'm already a light sleeper.

What do you guys do to ensure you're well rested?

This happens to me as well. For me, if everything is too new my senses can't calm down. So in the camper, we use lots of old stuff from our home old pillows, blankets, and the like. When we get to a site and set up we open up everything and let it air out to get the storage and road air out. It still takes me more than a night to get any real sleep. AND lastly, (snicker if you have too) if you have more than one bed, sometimes it is just best to spread out for sleeping.

 

[Camper054]

I would add one point: a change in environment can be a deterrent to sleep for someone, be it camping or at a hotel. You may notice that by second or third day, it gets better, which is usually the case for me!

 

[kitphantom]

I would add one point: a change in environment can be a deterrent to sleep for someone, be it camping or at a hotel. You may notice that by second or third day, it gets better, which is usually the case for me!

One of the things I realized after we began tent camping, 30+ years ago, was that I did much better sleeping in the tent, popup, and travel trailer than I ever have in a cabin or hotel. Part of that is that I have developed a standard set-up for camping, minor variations with each change of shelter. I know where things are located. Yes, windy nights with zippers rattling or the camper shaking can be bit unsettling, but then, we notice the all-night canyon winds we get at home. I now have a sound machine, to help with the tinnitus residual after my massive head infection. It helps with the wind and some sounds, but once wind reaches a certain speed, or there are sharp sounds (fireworks this year have been hideous, they started letting them off at all hours and intervals sometime in June), it's not as helpful. That's actually not as much of a bad thing as it might seem, I still want to be able to be aware if there really is something concerning going on.

 

[firepit]

I am a professional napper so i can sleep anywhere,anytime as long as i got AC.